Sir Hero, It’s Time to Train!

Christian wanted to discipline Aira thoroughly as a form of teaching, but he decided to focus on quietly understanding the surrounding situation for the next few days.

He needed to grasp the dynamics of the household and understand how Christian’s typical behavior was perceived in order to avoid suspicion.

As he delved deeper, he realized one significant fact.

“A power struggle between maternal families….”

It wasn’t simply a matter of the two mothers snarling over the heir’s position.

Broadly speaking, it was an extension of the mothers’ family feuds.

Christian’s mother is a daughter of the Ferda Marquisate, who had been holding the position of the Rondel Kingdom’s Foreign Minister for generations.

Her family was one of the core families of the royal faction, boasting significant authority within the kingdom.

However, the household of the first wife, Liana Worden, wasn’t lacking either.

Her family, Miles Viscounty, operated a massive trading company, renowned across not just the kingdom but the whole continent.

The problem lay in the fact that these two families belonged to different factions.

“The skirt wind must be no joke.”

The Worden County represented a sort of neutral party.

The Ferda Marquisate was a core of the royal faction.

The Miles Viscounty was the nucleus and financial backbone of the noble faction.

Usually, one would forge alliances with people from their own faction, but the head of this household seemed to have a very different mindset.

“Wanted to have both money and power, huh.”

Worden’s military capability.

Ferda’s political power.

Miles’ wealth.

It seemed that the military might of the Worden County was exceptional enough to tolerate these two different factions merging under the name ‘Worden’.

“A household with power, and a powerful father. It’s impressive, but can’t he stay home a little?”

The Rangar region, where the Worden County was located, had a higher frequency of monster appearances compared to other places.

Thus, it regularly gathered the military forces of noble families situated in the Rangar region, centering around the Worden County, for periodic monster subjugations, and now was precisely that time.

Since such external endeavors were part of maintaining the authority of the Worden County, he had no choice but to understand his father’s absence.

“It’s not about a son dying or a daughter running away. The maternal family is lurking, eyeing the Worden family, isn’t it?”

Christian roughly comprehended how the household operated, and he finished investigating the personality of his great-aunt.

As he abruptly stood up from his seat and was about to leave the room, Christian paused, gently touching his heart.

“If you’d just move a bit, the world would be a much more comfortable place….”

He tried knocking with mana on the thing lodged in his heart that had tightly locked the door, but there was no response, as expected.

Damn thing.

I am its master. If it’s going to be like this, just vacate the room!

***

The daily routine of Worden County’s first wife, Liana Worden, was very monotonous.

As the lady of the house, she would meet external figures, but only out of necessity, with few personal acquaintances.

Therefore, having tea quietly and reading a book was part of her daily routine….

“Aunt!”

“…….”

The door swung open without a knock, causing the hand lifting the teacup to tremble slightly.

“I, Christian, am here to pay my respects.”

Liana let out a deep sigh as she glanced at the maids, who seemed bewildered. She did not blame them for their failure to stop him. Liana gave a slight nod, and the maids quietly closed the door as they exited.

Liana put down her book quietly and glared sharply at Christian.

“I don’t understand why you give a morning greeting after lunchtime.”

“I don’t believe one must extend greetings only in the morning.”

“If you came to teach me something, you failed. But if you aimed to irritate me, then you succeeded.”

“I apologize.”

Christian, who had entered with confidence, shifted his gaze subtly, faced with Liana’s unexpectedly cold response.

‘Really, is it possible for a mother and daughter to resemble each other this much?’

Apparently, this resemblance was intimidating. Indeed, it must be an instinct. Resisting felt impossible, perhaps due to the 13 years of consistent gaslighting, or rather, training from his master.

Christian gathered his confused thoughts and bowed his head politely.

“It seems I made a mistake. I apologize.”

“Alright, now you can simply leave.”

“However, I have something I wish to discuss with you, aunt…”

“I believe I already heard your apology, so just leave.”

“…”

If she had just shouted at him, he might have felt better about it.

With no interest whatsoever, Liana picked her book back up, and Christian let out a small sigh.

“I have a proposal that might interest you, aunt.”

“From the moment you entered here without my permission, you lost the ability to attract my interest with anything other than leaving.”

Despite Liana’s dismissal, Christian proceeded with what he had prepared to say.

“I wish to teach Aira.”

“Rejected.”

“Ah, no, perhaps you could listen to the reason first…”

“Your words hold no value. Leave.”

“Please, don’t just tell me to leave; hear me out. It will surely benefit you as well.”

Liana fixed her gaze on her book once more, uninterested in talking further.

Unfazed by her demeanor, Christian continued to speak.

“Honestly, if Aira remains in her current state, she will never surpass me. If she doesn’t achieve results that satisfy you after training with me, I will appropriately deal with the consequences.”

At Christian’s bold statement, Liana closed the book she had been reading and met his gaze.

“Neglect, you say? That’s the most amusing thing I’ve heard in a while. Right now, Aira is receiving lessons from people far superior to you without your involvement. Why should I invest in such a waste of time with you?”

In fact, unlike Christian, Aira had top-notch private tutors from outside sources accompanying her.

She was methodically prepping to become the head of the family, learning strategy and tactics from renowned knights and studying subjects essential for estate management.

—
**New Elements and Characters:**

크리스티안 = Christian(he)
큰어머니 = Aunt(she)
Liana deemed Christian’s proposal unworthy of consideration, and he agreed with her opinion.

“Well, I didn’t think you’d understand. In fact, as you said, it’s a rather absurd proposition.”

“Still, you catch on quickly.”

“But I also need something.”

“Need something?”

Liana tapped her fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought briefly. But soon, as if she had organized her thoughts, she looked at Christian and asked, “Are you saying you want to make a deal with me now?”

“Yes. Didn’t I mention from the start? I have a proposal that you might find intriguing.”

Even though it had been a long time since she left home, Liana, too, was originally from the Miles family, a clan that valued money and credit above all.

If it was a ‘deal’ and not simply a request, she would inevitably show interest. As Christian predicted, the word ‘deal’ changed the look in Liana’s eyes.

“So, you want to trade for Aira’s time. You know what that value might be, don’t you?”

“Value….”

Time was as precious as gold. It was a phrase not just meant for merchants but applicable to everyone living in this world.

“I can’t quite determine the worth of time.”

“At least you have the sense to think. As you said, it’s hard to convert time into money, but you can make an estimate. The learning opportunities you’d forgo while training with you, it’s not something even your mother’s family could easily compensate for.”

“If, as Aunt suggests, my training method turns out to be more effective, could you afford that cost?”

“Amusing. There’s nothing the Miles can’t afford.”

Liana disregarded Christian’s response as childish whimsy and shifted her gaze away. Unperturbed, Christian revealed the bait he had prepared.

“Aunt, how much would it take to buy our family?”

It was quite an intriguing baiting question, yet insufficient to regain her withdrawn interest. Still fixated on her book, Liana Worden spoke.

“If you’re referring to the value of the Worden Count’s estate, it wouldn’t be that expensive.”

An estate, unlike time, was a tangible asset. You could always attach a price to it. However, if you included the rights and various intangible interests held by the Worden family, the story changed.

“But if you include intangible assets, you can’t dare to assign a value. You can’t attach a price tag to something that’s neither sold nor sellable.”

An influential family responsible for a region, with a long tradition and potential for further development. Even someone from the shrewd Miles family like herself could not easily set a value for the Worden family’s worth.

Agreeing with Liana’s assessment, Christian nodded.

“Yes. Exactly. Our family, too, dares not assign a price.”

Hence, they would trade two invaluable entities that couldn’t be priced. Someone as sharp in commerce as Liana would have no choice but to oblige.

With conviction, Christian proposed once more, “So, I will make Aira the head of the family for you.”

“……?”

“In return, please give me some money.”

His boldness caused Aunt to look utterly bewildered, her eyes widening and her mouth agape, finally dropping the book she held.

TL’s Corner:
You go Christian!!!